


Poison Chalice

by taichara



Category: Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:22:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27205168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/pseuds/taichara
Summary: Rouge's fate is about to be snatched from his grasp, but --
Kudos: 2





	Poison Chalice

_no_

He should've been screaming. 

Shrieking horror to the skies.

All Rouge could manage -- stumbling, shaking, towards the crumpled form in azure, blood pooling slickly around hair dyed vermilion with it -- was strangled, animal pain.

Blue was dead; no, a heartbeat, maybe two, away from death. No more than that. Sophia, hands bloodied, climbing to her feet, face grey with despair as Rocbouquet turned away, shielding her face with a wing, her bound spirits wittering like frightened wrens. 

Blue was dying -- would be dead -- and it was _not by his hand_ \--

_no_

He dropped to his knees next to his other half and the blood wicked into his tunic, crimson on crimson, mocking him -- like the eyeblink flicker of a bloodless, mocking smile that fluttered across Blue's slack features as his breath stuttered. Dying, Blue knew. Of course he knew. If he couldn't be the victor then of course Blue would rather death.

_I -- shouldn't have hesitated --_

_I_

Lost. He was going to be forever lost, forever less than --

A shadow loomed. 

Rouge caught Rocbouquet's gasp as if across an echoing cavern as cold alloy closed on his shoulder. Noel's taloned gauntlet, holding him fast. The metallic sound of the man -- the Hero, the monster -- lowering to one knee was like funeral bells, and he was not relinquishing his grip.

"I know you've unraveled every thread but the last, sorcerer; I've watched you at least as much as you have I."

Sophia choked. Rocbouquet took a single step closer, fluttering; backed away again muttering Wagnas' name as Noel tilted his head once and sharply in her direction, and Rouge wondered briefly what passed between them --

Then Noel's breath was hot against his cheek, Noel's voice low thunder in his ear.

"Listen to me and be swift."

The thunder rolled, low and tempting, murmuring that last thread into mind and heart and soul. Before him, Blue breathed once, shallow; sighed.

No.

_No._

Rouge lunged with every scrap of power he could call. Lunged, and _felt_ it, caught in the tendrils of his magic, of his _will_ ; felt the fluttering, struggling scrap of soul, the magics tangled in it, long out of his reach. The memories it dragged in its wake. 

Felt it and tore it free, drew it down, devoured it with sharp jaws of hungry spirit and felt himself -- _himself_ \--

But what _was_ he?

Who was he …?

Animal pain, animal confusion, power and memory roiling inside. Noel's grip tightened, kept him upright. Distantly he noted Sophia draping something -- her hair-veil? -- across …

Nothing. 

Across nothing.

Something felt wrong but it was so _right_ and did it matter? Did it even matter now?

He …

A whisper of dark wings. Rocbouquet. He stiffened, pausing when she halted in her tracks again. Was it Noel who stopped her this time? Was it?

Silence; a long, too-long silence, before Sophia stood slowly, fixed Noel -- fixed _him_ with a shuttered, wary gaze.

"What did you do, Noel."

"I did nothing."

"Don't play semantic games. What did you prompt him to -- you gave him --"

Metal against metal. Funeral bells.

"I gave him his last chance to be whole.

"The choice was his own."


End file.
